ArtAccess 

Simeen Farhat engages the power of language and issues of identity in spirited, graceful sculptures. Using cast resin, Farhat renders epic Middle Eastern poems that call for freedom of thought in delicate yet chaotic three-dimensional forms. As she deconstructs the texts and layers individual phrases into sculptural word compounds, the overarching meaning of the ballads becomes abstracted. In this way, Farhat both laments forgotten freedoms and celebrates the cultural history of her native Middle East. Her installations have also incorporated ghostly, shrouded female figures that reference gender inequality, a pervasive example of contemporary oppression.

 

Words – written or spoken, understood or misunderstood, poetic or prosaic are what motivate Simeen Farhat to create a visual narrative. She is fascinated by how, through language, we understand a great deal about ourselves and surroundings, and how ideas: simple, complex and abstract, are conveyed and understood using symbols.